Nothing Gold Can Stay
by TornSanity
Summary: Rosemary and the Lost boys are back. Life seemed perfect now that Hook was vanquished, but there are more problems that need to be sorted out before life can go on smoothly. Sequel to Never,Neverland. Rufio/OC


I should have guessed that my decision to stay here would lead to considerable guilt. Abandoning my parents and siblings who I had worked so hard to free from the clutches of the evil Captain Hook. What was I thinking?

Don't get me wrong, I in no way regretted my choice to stay here with Rufio and the Lost Boys. But sometimes the inevitable truth is just hard to stomach.

I'm not really sure how long it had been since Dad left with Jack and Maggie. Time never seemed to matter in Neverland, we were young and would never grow old. That was a plus to the experience, I suppose. Never having to go to school or get a job. All you needed here was imagination. But still...

I sighed in a slightly dramatic way as I sat on my platform that Rufio had showed me to on my first day here. It had stayed mostly the same, multicolored pillows and quilts were bundled haphazardly into a vague pile in the middle of the floorboards, the wood supported by the thick limbs under it and ropes securing it from above. The only difference was that there were several little trinkets dangling from the hovering branches. Each one was a gift from the boys. The one from Too Small was a series of colored leaves and beads, the shades and shapes contrasted in a way that would make it significantly less adorable had it not been given to me by such a young child. Each one was different, some served as peaceful chimes, while others were just clumps of pebbles and twigs.

I had come to know all the boys very closely, we trusted each other, like one gigantic family.

I suppose that it was something I had wanted all my life. My old life wasn't ideal. Dad was never around and my siblings lived in constant woe as they always felt that he would never care for them like he should. But I remained hopeful that he had improved since his re-occurrence in Neverland. I hoped that he would attend every baseball game, every dance recital, every parent career day at school.

Tink had given me the chance to go and see them again. It wasn't just my distaste in flying that held me back, but the fear that if I saw any of them again, I might want to go back to them. I didn't want to let go of this life that I had made here. I refused to leave any of these boys. Not for anything.

A large hand landed on my left shoulder, I squeaked and whipped my head to the side to look at my companion. Rufio crouched next to me with a rather cheeky expression on his face. I huffed a bit, rolling my eyes, before accepting the hand he offered me and he pulled me up to my feet. I rested my forehead on his chest as his fingers carded through my ponytail.  
My outfit had been slightly modified, now consisting of a deep blue shirt that had holes in the shoulders that exposed my slowly tanning skin, dusty brown pants, and black boots. My brown hair was tied tightly into a ponytail and had two white feathers sticking out of the base.  
Rufio remained the same with his red and black color scheme and his pointed hair, I could not be more grateful that my story wasn't one of the girl who gave everything up for a boy, only to find him to be a completely different person than he first appeared to be. No, Rufio remained the same brooding but caring man that I had fallen for in the first place.

His tanned arms tightened their hold around my waist as he pressed his lips to my forehead , murmuring a quiet,"Why are you not at the game?"

The boys had decided to play a hearty round of 'Clobber the Odd-Man', which is basically their version of dodge-ball, something I had not known until I actually participated in a round and gotten pelted with rubber balls. I had bruises for weeks after it. Ever since then I had avoided it completely, I didn't want to be suckered into playing by Pockets and his too-innocent eyes.  
"Didn't feel like being a target today I suppose", I mumbled this into his chest and for a moment I thought that he hadn't even heard me. There was a lengthy pause before Rufio held me arms length away as he studied my face with his deep brown eyes, a look of worry on his face.  
"Is there something wrong, Rose?"

I felt a slight heat rise to my cheeks at the discovery of my melancholy mood that I had nearly forgotten until now. I considered lying to him briefly, just going with the classic 'I'm Fine' , but I decided against it as to avoid the confusion on his part.

"Just thinking about my family."

I saw a sudden flash of fear flicker in his expression before he tried to cover it up with something that was something close to indifference, but I knew him far too well, "I'm not thinking about leaving or anything. Don't worry." I sent him a warm smile and momentarily covered his lips with my own. I drew away, stifling a small giggle when I saw a look of dreaminess on my boyfriend's face. He was such a hopeless romantic.

I pressed my cheek onto his shoulder and looked out to the glittering see that reflected the sunlight that filtered through the wispy clouds and the never ending rainbows that spread throughout the island.

Throughout the obvious perfection of my life, I couldn't shake off that foreboding feeling in the corner of my mind. Some odd emotion that I wasn't quite sure of that I attempted to shake off by drawing myself closer to the man in my arms.

* * *

A/N- First chapter of the sequel for Never,Neverland. Hope you enjoyed it :) Make sure to tell me what you think. -TS


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